Ben Smith, political reporter

Politico

Everyone and his little blogging cousin in media is looking for the sweet, money-making mix between creating original content (i.e. breaking stories) and riffing off someone else's facts (i.e. commentary and aggregation). When aggregation site BuzzFeed hired rising political reporter Ben Smith late last year, it represented a recognition that winning websites need to do more than rip and regurgitate. Smith has been a consistent news-breaker since he helped get Politico off the ground five years ago. Though he'll continue to write occasionally for that site, his main job in 2012 will be drawing eyeballs to BuzzFeed. The site, created by some of the same funders who brought the world the Huffington Post, thrives on celebrity, pop culture arcana ("10 Most Tattooed Cities") and, yes, politics. The 35-year-old journalist and a few key hires will try to build audience and ad revenue by moving beyond what one commentator described as "goofy distractions and silly videos." Smith & Co. will provide one answer to the abiding question of Internet Age journalism: Can quality survive in a digital world that thrives on quantity and speed? -- James Rainey

Everyone and his little blogging cousin in media is looking for the sweet, money-making mix between creating original content (i.e. breaking stories) and riffing off someone else's facts (i.e. commentary and aggregation). When aggregation site BuzzFeed hired rising political reporter Ben Smith late last year, it represented a recognition that winning websites need to do more than rip and regurgitate. Smith has been a consistent news-breaker since he helped get Politico off the ground five years ago. Though he'll continue to write occasionally for that site, his main job in 2012 will be drawing eyeballs to BuzzFeed. The site, created by some of the same funders who brought the world the Huffington Post, thrives on celebrity, pop culture arcana ("10 Most Tattooed Cities") and, yes, politics. The 35-year-old journalist and a few key hires will try to build audience and ad revenue by moving beyond what one commentator described as "goofy distractions and silly videos." Smith & Co. will provide one answer to the abiding question of Internet Age journalism: Can quality survive in a digital world that thrives on quantity and speed? -- James Rainey (Politico)

Everyone and his little blogging cousin in media is looking for the sweet, money-making mix between creating original content (i.e. breaking stories) and riffing off someone else's facts (i.e. commentary and aggregation). When aggregation site BuzzFeed hired rising political reporter Ben Smith late last year, it represented a recognition that winning websites need to do more than rip and regurgitate. Smith has been a consistent news-breaker since he helped get Politico off the ground five years ago. Though he'll continue to write occasionally for that site, his main job in 2012 will be drawing eyeballs to BuzzFeed. The site, created by some of the same funders who brought the world the Huffington Post, thrives on celebrity, pop culture arcana ("10 Most Tattooed Cities") and, yes, politics. The 35-year-old journalist and a few key hires will try to build audience and ad revenue by moving beyond what one commentator described as "goofy distractions and silly videos." Smith & Co. will provide one answer to the abiding question of Internet Age journalism: Can quality survive in a digital world that thrives on quantity and speed? -- James Rainey